class: title, smokescreen, shelf, no-footer background-image: url(leo-serrat-533922-unsplash.jpg) # Stress at Work ## Changing the Narrative with Cognitive Therapy ??? Make sure you're in the right room! --- background-image: url(Slide1.png) background-size: cover ??? Welcome to the Central Wisconsin IT Conference - Background images don't appear to scale correctly unless I also apply "background-size: cover" to the slide.- --- background-image: url(Slide2.png) background-size: cover ??? Sponsors are great. Without them, CWITC would not be possible. I'm thankful for them. --- class: img-left # About Me  - Software Developer at Paradigm - Luther College Alumnus - Psychology / French majors - TEALS volunteer - Admin, [Madison, WI Slack](madisoncommunity.org) - Human being - Survivor @rosslarsonWI hello@rosslarson.com ??? Hi. I'm Ross. --- # Slides .qrcode.db.fr.w-40pct.ml-4[] Slides are at https://rosslarson.com/slides/ or you can scan the QR code. - Ask questions anytime --- background-image: url(agenda-slide2.jpg) # Agenda - Learn about stress, then about workplace stress. - Learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Work through a stressful situation - Work through a situation that gives you anxiety - Leave with no problems! ??? I want each of you to think of one situation that brings you stress, and one situation that's been causing you a lot of anxiety lately. We'll be working on them later. --- class: img-left  # Psychology degree, not psychologist. To be clear, I am not a therapist. ??? I have a psychology degree, but I am a software developer, not a therapist. I'm trying to give you a useful summary that you can use either by yourself or with a therapist. I'm not saying going to therapy is wrong. I've been to therapy plenty of times in the last year. --- class: img-caption  ## A note on photos in this presentation. ??? Most stock photos about workplace stress look like this. It's a person, wearing a suit, with a hand on their face, surrounded by piles of paper. Looking at stock photos of stressed people is depressing, so I'm making the executive decision to only have this one and to have animal pictures for the rest of the presentation. --- class: img-caption  # Got it? ??? I'm doing this for your own good. Trust me. --- class: img-caption  # Good. ??? Excellent. Let's move on. --- class: img-caption  # Let's talk about stress. ??? Before we get too far, I'd like to talk about stress for a bit. We're not going to be very good at dealing with stress if we haven't defined what it is. I'm going to go with the American Psychological Assocation on how to define stress in this session. --- class: img-caption  # The Three Types of Stress ??? According to the American Psychological Association, there are three types of stress. All stress involves three sets of emotions, though. It's some some combination of anger/irritability, anxiety and depression, the three stress emotions. --- class: img-left-full # Acute Stress  - Demands and pressures of the recent past - Anticipated demands and pressures of the near future - Thrilling and exciting in small doses ??? Acute stress comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting. It causes.... --- class: img-left-full # Health Effects  - Emotional distress - Muscular problems - Stomach, gut, and bowel problems - Sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, cold hands/feet ??? Emotional distress — the three stress emotions: anger/irritability, anxiety, and depression. Muscular problems including headaches, back pain, jaw pain and muscular tension. A variety of stomach conditions that often end up in Pepto Bismol commercials. Temporary overarousal leads to a variety of physical effects, many of which you are familiar with. Think of the Enimem song "lose yourself" without the spaghetti on your mom's sweater. (Elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath and chest pain.) Acute stress can crop up in anyone's life, and it is highly treatable and manageable. --- class: img-caption # Episodic Acute Stress  ??? Episodic Acute Stress is like acute stress, but over and over again. It is repeated acute stress, ingrained and habitual. Two types of folks tend to run into this issue. --- class: img-caption # Type A Personalities  ??? Type A's have an "excessive competitive drive, aggressiveness, impatience, and a harrying sense of time urgency." In addition there is a "free-floating, but well-rationalized form of hostility, and almost always a deep-seated insecurity." These folks have a higher risk of cardiac issues. --- class: img-caption # Worry Warts  ??? "Worry warts" see disaster around every corner and pessimistically forecast catastrophe in every situation. The world is a dangerous, unrewarding, punitive place where something awful is always about to happen. These "awfulizers" also tend to be over aroused and tense, but are more anxious and depressed than angry and hostile. --- class: img-caption, no-footer  # Chronic Stress ??? Chronic Stress is serious stuff. Like, change your brain chemistry permanently kind of stuff. Chronic stress is grinding stress. It wears people away day after day, year after year. Chronic stress destroys lives, bodies, and minds. It wreaks havoc through long-term attrition. It is the stress of poverty, dysfunctional families, violence, abuse, trauma, ethnic rivalry, war, but also potentially a despised job. One that you hate, but feel like you have no choice other than to stay. --- class: title # If you are experiencing chronic stress ## Consider seeking professional help. [Please](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists). ??? If you're experiencing chronic stress, please consider seeking professional health, like a licensed therapist. Please. This slide has a link to the "find a therapist" tool from Psychology Today that can help you search for someone. This is a medical issue that deserves medical care. There's no shame in that. You can also ask for a referral from your normal family doctor. --- class: img-caption  # Stress at Work ??? Now let's try to focus on stress at work. Generally stress either comes from work and bleeds into your life or comes from your life and bleeds into your work. --- background-image: url(stress-pie-chart.png) Chart courtesy of [stress.org/workplace-stress](https://www.stress.org/workplace-stress): ??? Where does workplace stress come from? Workloads, people issues, job security, and juggling work and life demands can all contribute. Although it's not listed, politics is also becoming an issue causing stress in the workplace. --- class: img-caption  # So, now what? ??? OK, Stress exists. Now what? --- class: title, smokescreen, shelf, no-footer background-image: url(penguin1.jpg) # Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ## (CBT) ??? How about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? I want to stress that it's not the only option, but it can be a good one. Let's learn some more. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications. --- class: img-right # [CBT](https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral) Core Principles  - Problems come from faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking - Problems come from learned patterns of unhelpful behavior - But, you can learn to do better! ??? Core principles of CBT: - Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking. - Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. - People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives. --- class: img-left  # CBT Treatment Strategies include: - Facing your fears instead of trying to avoid them. - Using role playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others. - Learning to calm your mind and relax your body. ??? CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists. Through exercises in the session as well as “homework” exercises outside of sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions and behavior. --- class: img-left  # How our mind and body interacts It gets a bit jumbled up, honestly. ??? CBT sounds really simple and straightforward, but remember, we're debugging these systems in production. Your thoughts, moods, reactions, and behaviors all interact with each other. You may find some of them easier to work with than others. That is natural. Moods and physical reactions don't just magically change. --- class: img-caption  # I have worksheets! ??? I have worksheets! They actually come from therapistaid.com which may be the worst domain name I've ever heard of, even though it has some great therapy worksheets. They badly need some hyphens. --- class: img-caption  # Working Through The Cognitive Model ??? Our first exercise will help us understand the cognitive model a little better. --- class: img-left  # Four steps: - Situation - Thought - Feeling - Behavior Then, think of an alternative! ??? Our first exercise is the cognitive model. Using the first stressful situation you thought of, start by writing how the the situation starts. Try to write out the thoughts that immediately come to mind in reaction to this situation. Next, describe the feelings, followed by the behaviors that may have been influenced by your thoughts and feelings. Once you have finished with the left side, talk about your situation in your small group. See if your group has any suggestions for alternative thoughts! Raise your hand if your group has any questions. --- class: img-caption  # Sharing Time! ??? Do to time constraints, I probably can't get any situations from the audience. However, I'll share my example. --- class: img-caption  # (Some of) My irrational thoughts ??? I have trouble with loud noises sometimes. --- class: img-caption  # Challenging Anxious Thoughts ??? Next is a different exercise, aimed at challenging our anxious thoughts. --- class: img-left  - Describe your anxious situation - Think about the outcomes - See if it matters ??? Start with a common situation that causes anxiety for you. Think about the outcomes, then ask yourself if the outcomes really matter, short term and long term. See if this anxiety is being worsened by irrational thoughts, and come up with some rational alternatives. --- class: img-caption  # More Sharing Time! ??? (Depending on time) Would anyone like to share their irrational thought? I'll share my example afterwards. --- class: img-caption  # The MCSA Situation ??? Our company discovered an issue with our participation in the Microsoft Partner program. We were short several employees with MCSA certifications. We discovered this much later than we would have liked. After agreeing to help, I was flooded with anxiety. I thought everyone was counting on me now. --- class: img-left  # Result of my behavior: ## MCSA: ## Web Applications! --- class: img-left  # Using CBT concepts to make better requests. When you make a request: - Describe the situation - Mention your reactions/thoughts/feelings - Request the desired behavior ??? You can use these same tools to ask for things more effectively. Make sure your request addresses the situation, talks about the effect, and leads you to request the change or desired action. --- class: img-caption  # Conclusion: What is your story? ??? Each of our lives is a story. Our story is how we make sense of what is happening around us, as well as what's happening inside of us. We tell this story to ourselves, often without realizing it. I hope that some of the techniques that I've talked about today can help you take control of your own story and change the narrative. It's your story. Make sure that you're participating in it. --- class: img-caption  # Questions? ??? Any questions? --- class: img-right  # Thanks! Slides are at: https://rosslarson.com/slides/ Additional resource links at: https://rosslarson.com/talks/ - @rosslarsonWI - hello@rosslarson.com ??? Thanks for coming! Let me know if you want more information about any of the resources I've mentioned today. --- # BONUS: Thinking Errors! from [Therapist Aid](https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cbt-thinking-errors/cbt/none) ### Ignoring the Good You pay more attention to bad things, and ignore when something good happens. - You get one line of code wrong in a big program, and all you can think about is the mistake. - You solve two tickets in your sprint, but all you can think about is the ticket you can't solve. --- # Blowing Things Up. Making a really big deal out of something small, or making something a little bit bad seem like the worst thing ever. - You get a stain on your new shoes and you think they’re ruined and can’t be worn anymore. - “I can't see my friends on Friday. My life is horrible!” --- # Fortune Telling. Thinking you know what will happen in the future, and that it will be bad. - “If I submit a talk to a conference, they'll always say no.” - “I bet no one will come to my meetup.” --- # Mind Reading. Believing you know what someone else is thinking, or why they are doing something, without having enough information. - “People are looking at me. They probably think my shirt is ugly.” - “Emma didn’t invite me to have lunch with her. I bet she thinks I’m weird.” --- # Negative Labeling. Having a negative belief about yourself and thinking it applies to everything you do. - “I’m a loser so my work stinks.” - “I’m so stupid. Everything I say is dumb.” --- # Setting the Bar Too High. Thinking that you must be perfect in everything you do, otherwise you’re no good. - “If I don’t know everything about my programming language, I’m not smart.” - “I have to immediately solve every ticket I have, otherwise I’m worthless.” --- # Self-blaming. Blaming yourself for anything that goes wrong around you, even if you had nothing to do with it. - When your team doesn't finish all of its work, you think it’s entirely your fault. - “Alicia is sad today. I probably did something to upset her.” --- # Feelings as Facts. Believing that if you feel something, it must be true. - “I feel stupid, so I must be stupid.” - “I feel like I’m a bad developer, so I must be a bad developer.” --- # “Should” Statements. Believing things have to be a certain way. - “People should always be nice to me.” - “I should always have the answer. I should never be lost.”